Late Holocene forest dynamics, volcanism, and climate change at Whitewing Mountain and San Joaquin Ridge, Mono County, Sierra Nevada, CA, USA

• Published in: Quaternary research Vol. 66; no. 2; pp. 273 - 287
• Main Authors: Millar, Constance I., King, John C., Westfall, Robert D., Alden, Harry A., Delany, Diane L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.09.2006; Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: Climate change; Forest history; Inyo; Inyo Craters; Late Holocene; Long Valley volcanism; Medieval climate; Paleoclimatic modeling; Paleoecology; Pinus albicaulis; Tree-ring dating; Tsuga mertensiana; USA, California, Sierra Nevada Mts; INE, USA, California; Long Valley volcanism; Late Holocene; Climate change; Forest history; Inyo Craters; Tree-ring dating; Medieval climate; Paleoecology; Paleoclimatic modeling
• ISSN: 0033-5894; 1096-0287
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yqres.2006.05.001

Deadwood tree stems scattered above treeline on tephra-covered slopes of Whitewing Mtn (3051 m) and San Joaquin Ridge (3122 m) show evidence of being killed in an eruption from adjacent Glass Creek Vent, Inyo Craters. Using tree-ring methods, we dated deadwood to AD 815–1350 and infer from death dates that the eruption occurred in late summer AD 1350. Based on wood anatomy, we identified deadwood species as Pinus albicaulis, P. monticola, P. lambertiana, P. contorta, P. jeffreyi, and Tsuga mertensiana. Only P. albicaulis grows at these elevations currently; P. lambertiana is not locally native. Using contemporary distributions of the species, we modeled paleoclimate during the time of sympatry to be significantly warmer (+3.2°C annual minimum temperature) and slightly drier (−24 mm annual precipitation) than present, resembling values projected for California in the next 70–100 yr.